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He was a soldier, warrior, educator, mentor, father, defender of truth and an example. Never giving up; seeing through his commitments, even when wrought with difficulties or health challenges, is part of Brother Naba’a Muhammad’s legacy. A common theme from all who knew Bro. Naba’a sums him up in one word. Relentless.

His Janazah (funeral) service was held at Mosque Maryam in Chicago on June 20, where his family members and those who loved and respected the longtime newsman came to pay their respects.

The award-winning journalist, author, podcaster and consummate communications professional, who traveled the world reporting stories of interest and impact to the Black diaspora as Editor-in-Chief of The Final Call newspaper, returned to Allah, June 6, 2025. He was 63.

Bro. Naba’a is survived by his sister Patricia Pace, brother, Sean Bryant Sr., six children, Richard (Nadelyn) B. Ali Jr., Emmanuel (Ariel) Ali, Kopano Muhammad, Kabelo Muhammad, Karabo Muhammad, Kamohelo Muhammad, and three precious grandchildren: Jammer Ali, Ariel Ali and Richard Henry Ali III, and a host of family, friends, and the Nation of Islam.

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Brother Naba’a was a dedicated follower of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad under the leadership and guidance of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan.

Upon hearing of his editor’s passing, Minister Farrakhan, publisher of The Final Call, wrote: “I feel a great loss. Brother Naba’a was a very special human being. Having him as a brother and a companion in our struggle for Freedom, Justice and Equality was a great blessing to me and all of us whom he served.

But the greatest gift I received from knowing him was that he was a friend, a genuine friend of those whom he loved and to those who loved him. I consider Brother Naba’a as a friend in service of our people.”

Speaking of Brother Naba’a’s family and his “beautiful children,” Minister Farrakhan wrote in closing his statement, “lift up your heads and throw your shoulders back, and know that your father was a friend of God.”

Over social media, those who knew and were impacted by and worked with him expressed their reflections, shared stories and offered their condolences to his family and the Nation of Islam.

Bro. Naba’a Muhammad’s journey began in Baltimore, Maryland. Born Richard Bryant, he was raised by his mother, Mattie Drummond Muhammad. According to his obituary, he was a voracious reader from an early age.

During the era of public-school proficiency testing, he was recognized for his high scores in vocabulary and encouraged to pursue a career in journalism. He received an English/journalism scholarship and attended Doane College in Nebraska.

He later attended Morgan State University, an HBCU in Baltimore, Maryland, where he majored in journalism and pledged Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. He was known as “Pretty Boy from Park Heights.”

“My heart is saddened by the news of the passing of my double brother Richard Muhammad,” began Mr. Gary Rahman, a supporter of The Final Call and a fraternity brother and friend of brother Naba’a in a Facebook social media post on June 8.

“He wrote an article on me when I was a province officer as a young undergraduate of our fraternity Kappa Alpha Psi. It was from this talk (that) we formed a connection that would grow for 33 years. We talked regularly. He was always the big brother.

I got a text from him almost weekly and I said to myself earlier this week I needed to call and check in with my brother. He was a true servant of our people and someone I could call for advice,” he said. “Rest well Brother Richard a true and faithful servant of Allah,” he closed.

Bro. Naba’a was committed to serving Black people and demonstrated that love for his people, even as a youngster growing up in Baltimore. His life was transformed in 1986 when, after glancing at a poster featuring Minister Farrakhan outside a Nation of Islam bookstore near Howard University.

He walked into the one-and-a-half-story building known as the Tape Connection in Washington, D.C. He purchased an audio cassette tape and returned to the Tape Connection every day that week, and the rest became history.

“I’m honored to have been there and be befriended by him and befriend him as well,” said Student Minister Jamil Muhammad. “I was in the Tape Connection that first day and those first days, and he came in looking very serious. He had not been brought there by anyone,” he said.

“He came himself, having heard, whatever he heard, and seen whatever he saw. He would come in and decide which tapes he would take home. And when he took his view of those things, well, he was very serious.

That word serious, keeps coming back to mind when thinking on my brother,” Student Min. Jamil added. “He was a fair man, an honest man, an uproariously funny man.”

He joined The Final Call staff writing from Washington, D.C., then promoted to East Coast Bureau Chief. under then Editor-in-Chief Abdul Wali Muhammad. He eventually became managing editor to Editor-in-Chief James G. Muhammad after Bro. Wali’s untimely passing.

Bro. Naba’a would take a brief hiatus from truly what he loved to do most and then return to the paper after a strategic persuasion executed by Shura Executive Council member and N.O.I. General Counsel, Student Minister Abdul Arif Muhammad and Final Call General Manager, Student Minister Abdul Rasul Muhammad.

“He left The Final Call for a period of time,” said Student Min. Rasul, a longtime friend and companion of Bro. Naba’a, who is also from Baltimore. “So, Bro. Arif Muhammad became Editor-in-Chief and General Manager of The Final Call. So, one day, I tell him, let’s call Brother Richard (Naba’a), he’d be a great asset, and he knows the paper,” Student Min. Rasul recalled.

He said he recommended to Bro. Arif that they ask their brother to come in one or two days a week to help get the paper out and be responsible for a few pages of The Final Call’s 40-page total.

“If you put it to him that way and it will get his foot in the door. He would never—not, complete an assignment,” said Student Min. Rasul as he chuckled at the memory.

“He can’t look at 10 pages and not see the other 30 through. That’s not who he is. He got in the door and before we knew it, he was full steam ahead.”

Nation of Islam Mid-Atlantic Regional Protocol Director Brenda Muhammad commended Bro. Naba’a for his “unwavering commitment, sense of duty, and deep love for the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam.” Sis. Brenda expressed those sentiments in a letter she sent on behalf of the Mid-Atlantic Region Student Protocol Department.

She recounted how, during the 1995 Million Man March, before becoming a registered member of the Nation of Islam, she worked with him and then-Editor-in-Chief James G. Muhammad on media outreach and what she and others learned from that training.

“His mentorship equipped us with media, marketing, and public relations skills that were not only effective, but also ‘down to the modern times,’” her letter said in part.

“Brother Na’ba was a dedicated journalist, teacher, fighter for Islam, and one of the best friends a Believer could ever have. You could not have known a better brother, and he loved his Baltimore family,” she added.

Bro. Naba’a was appointed the Final Call Editor-in-Chief in 2009, and was dedicated to his labor, Minister Farrakhan and The Nation of Islam. He was never short on commitment and would always be found on his post even when he was not physically feeling well.

During Saviours’ Day 2020 many significant events happened in his life. It was the year that, during the annual Nation of Islam convention, The Final Call also celebrated its 40-year anniversary. It was during that convention that Minister Farrakhan gave “Brother Richard” his holy name, “Naba’a.”

Translated in Arabic, “Naba’a” means “news,” “the announcement.” Surah (Chapter 78) of The Holy Qur’an is called Al-Naba’ or “the Message of Importance.” It was also during the convention that an ambulance was called.

Hotel staff had to perform a wellness check and gain access to Brother Naba’a’s hotel room. The editor-in-chief was very ill and was transported to the hospital. It was the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. His diagnosis was pneumonia, flu and an upper respiratory virus.

He spent more than a week in the hospital and Student Min. Rasul was assigned to stay in Detroit to be with his brother. Upon Bro. Naba’a’s release, Student Min. Rasul and Detroit Fruit of Islam Captain Emeritus Abdul (Roy) Muhammad (May Allah be pleased), were preparing to drive him home from Detroit to Chicago.

“He (Bro. Naba’a) asks to stop at Starbucks. I’m thinking he’s going to get whatever he drinks,” said Student Min. Rasul. “Instead, he plugs into their Wi-Fi, pulls out his laptop and works four hours straight on the paper because it’s press day.” The trio of brothers then resumed the four-hour ride from Detroit to Chicago to get him home.

Final Call editor Richard B Muhammad and activist Anthony Shahid

“That was Naba’a Muhammad. He was about that business, seven days a week, 24 hours a day. He was just a beautiful soldier, and he was a soldier for Allah, His Christ and the Messiah. I loved him tremendously,” said Student Min. Rasul.

“It was an honor to be one who looked after him when he fell ill. I did my absolute best to ensure that he got what he needed and watched him day and night when necessary.

There was nothing that he could ask me for that I wouldn’t strive to do, nothing he could ask me to do, that I wouldn’t try to get for my brother, my brother for life he will always be close to my heart.

The main thing I learned from him, the number one thing, is that when you’ve got a job to do for Muhammad, get that job done. Accepted no excuses. He offered no excuses. He was beautiful as a large marshmallow, but at the same time firm and as tough as nails when necessary.”

In addition to Student Min. Abdul Rasul, Bro. Naba’a’s executive secretary, Sister Marcella A. X; Final Call contributing photographer Haroon Rajaee; Bro. James E. Muhammad; Bro. Lionel Muhammad; Sis. Nahlah (Carmella) Muhammad and others also helped to care for Bro. Naba’a.

The day before his passing, Bro. Naba’a submitted what would be his final submission to The Final Call newspaper. He was a true servant and for brothers and sisters who labored over the years with The Final Call, Bro. Naba’a was very special to them.

Sister Starla Muhammad was appointed Final Call managing editor by Bro. Naba’a in 2016. “Brother Naba’a was more than my editor-in-chief. He was my brother, my mentor and my friend.

Watching and learning from him and seeing his relentless and unwavering commitment to his craft up close is something I will cherish forever. He was the consummate professional and he taught me more about reporting, journalism and the media profession than what I ever learned in college.

He was always encouraging me to grow and develop my skills and he was always willing to listen, correct and push me so that I could be a better helper to the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, the Nation of Islam and The Final Call,” said Sister Starla.

His tenacity, drive and laser-like focus on doing whatever he could to help the paper progress was contagious, she explained. “My heart hurts because I love my brother very much and will miss him tremendously.

I will miss our conversations. But I take comfort in Allah (God) and thank Him for allowing me to know and labor with the gift that was and is Brother Naba’a Muhammad.”

Final Call staff contributed to this report.